Our Second Attempt at Goat Breeding

It is snowing outside. Heavy snow that sticks to everything. It feels very much like Christmas, and since we had grass yesterday and today I had to struggle with my winter boots so I could trudge out to the barn with my chicken waterer (if you follow my Facebook page you got to read about how well that went!) the snow is, at least in my eyes, welcome (even though I did a face plant in the yard this morning). Although granted I don’t have to drive anywhere this morning, but I do have to drive this afternoon/evening so I’m hoping the snow doesn’t pile up too quickly.

Where am I going you may ask? Back to my friend’s farm who is housing the buck I attempted to breed my two does too. But April I thought you already bred your goats? So did I dear reader. So did I. (You can read about the first attempt here)

Well since it’s snowy and cold outside and really no good for anything but baking cookies, I’ll tell ya a little story. Grab a cup of hot cocoa or tea or coffee or hot apple cider…mmmm hot apple cider, and lets get into it.

Once upon a time in a far away land there lived a girl who owned two goats. She wasn’t too sure of the goats at first, and found everyday life with them hard to handle. She did not understand the goats and the goats did not understand her. Slowly over time they got used to each other, and she started looking forward to going outside and doing barn chores with them. She talked to them like they were people and they had great fun playing together after the barn chores were finished.

This girl originally wanted the goats for the rich milk that they would produce. She could almost taste the ice cream, and smell the thousands of cheesecakes she would make. But like any dairy animal, goats won’t produce milk without having a baby. She waited patiently until both goats were old enough, and healthy enough to breed, picked out the perfect buck, and made all the arrangements. She may have panicked slightly when she began to feel the pressure of spotting the goat’s heat cycle, but through prayer and many hours spent sitting in the barn watching them, she finally made the call that they were in heat, and drove them off to meet their “boyfriend”. They stayed overnight with him and came home smelling like a stinky buck and all kinds of moody.

18 days after breeding the girl watched closely for signs of heat. They were due, and her excitement grew as she witnessed no heat signs. Maybe it would actually happen and there would be kids on the farm in the Spring! The next day she noticed the goats romping through the yard, head butting, and Sophie mounting Phoebe. Her heart sunk when she saw Phoebe her younger goat wagging her tail excessively, stretching out her neck, and bellowing into the wind. The girl went out to the yard and inspected Phoebe closer and found she was indeed in heat. Greatly disappointment she sent a text message to her friend and goat contact that Phoebe had not settled and needed another round with Jack. Thankfully within a few hours the “date” was arranged and Phoebe and Sophie were loaded back into the girl’s car for another breeding session.

The girl had hoped that Sophie was already bred as she did not display any heat symptoms and just brought her along for Phoebe’s emotional support. But as they neared the farm Sophie got alarmingly excited. She tugged at her leash, and practically galloped into the barn and down the hallway to Jack’s stall. Phoebe was very hesitant and was pushed into the stall, but Sophie gladly went in and start playing around, flagging her tail, and basically got her “sexy on”. The girl was heart broken. Two seemingly open goats was not what she wanted. They watched the goats for awhile but it seemed both does were more interested in the foreplay and made poor Jack work for it. He must be getting pretty tired after all the loving he’s had to do in the past month. The decision was made that goats would stay for another 24 hours and hopefully everything would be done this time.

The girl was disappointed as she drove away with her hubby. She was worried that neither goats were standing for Jack, as there had never been any witnessed love making. She was even more dismayed over the fact that she had paid a lot of money to have these goats bred, and they both seemed to still be open.

It was then that the girl decided she was in the market for a buck for next Fall. Getting an in heat doe to see a buck in time was proving itself to be very stressful and down right hard! It can be done with a bit of luck, but snow storms, work schedules, and over all driving distance were making it hard. A doe has to be in standing heat and that can only last for 3 hours. The stress was not worth it!

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